CIS-Discovery Certified Implementation Specialist - Discovery Question and Answers

Agent Collector is the component that executes the osquery commands on agents to gather attribute details from a CI. Agent Collector is a feature of the Agent Client Collector (ACC) for Discovery, which is an integration that enables ServiceNow Discovery to use osquery to collect data from Linux and Windows devices that have the Elastic Agent installed1. Agent Collector allows you to define osquery queries and assign them to policies that target specific devices or groups of devices2. Agent Collector then runs the queries on the agents and sends the results back to the instance, where they are processed by the Agent Listener and stored in the CMDB3.

In a Merge Table pattern operation within ServiceNow Discovery, the editable fields typically include the Target Table, Second Table, and First Table. These fields are configurable and allow users to specify the tables involved in the merge operation. The Target Table is where the merged data will be stored, while the First and Second Tables are the source tables whose data is being merged. The Primary Table is not typically an editable field in this context.References= ServiceNow Discovery documentation, particularly the sections discussing pattern design and operations, including Merge Table operations within Discovery Patterns.

In configuring the MID Server Service Settings in ServiceNow, the MID Server name must adhere to certain naming conventions. Among the options provided, "mid server1" (D) is not a valid MID Server name because it contains a space. MID Server names should not include spaces or special characters that are not typically used in naming conventions. Names like "mymidserver1," "mid.server1," and "midserver1" are more in line with the standard naming practices.References= ServiceNow MID Server documentation, specifically the sections detailing MID Server configuration and naming conventions.

On the ECC Queue, sensor records have a Queue value of output and probe records have a Queue value of input. The ECC Queue is the connection point between the instance and the MID Server, and it displays the input and output messages from and to the MID Server1. A probe is a message that the instance sends to the MID Server to request information from a device or application2. A sensor is a script that the MID Server runs to process the results returned by the probe3. When a probe is created, it is inserted into the ECC Queue with a Queue value of input, which means that it is waiting to be picked up by the MID Server4. When a sensor is created, it is inserted into the ECC Queue with a Queue value of output, which means that it is waiting to be processed by the instance.

The correct variable syntax to populate a custom column in a horizontal discovery pattern is $cmdb_ci_linux_server.u_custom_column.INSERT. This syntax indicates that the value of the custom column will be inserted into the cmdb_ci_linux_server table for the current CI. The other options are either invalid or incorrect syntaxes for this operation12.

A horizontal discovery pattern is a set of steps that execute operations to identify, classify, and populate attributes for configuration items (CIs) of a specific category or class, such as infrastructure or application. A horizontal pattern can be applied to any operating system or platform that supports the required protocols and commands12.

 Based on the web search results from the search_web tool, the following choices best represent key capabilities of a ServiceNow ITOM Enterprise solution:

Manage Hybrid Clouds: ServiceNow ITOM enables organizations to gain visibility into their IT environment, on-premises to cloud, and see the impact of their applications on business services12. It also helps to plan, track, and secure cloud implementation through best-practice governance1. Four apps comprise Cloud Accelerate to help prepare for cloud migration, streamline provisioning requests, and manage cloud resources1.

Proactively Eliminate Service Outages: ServiceNow ITOM helps to predict issues, reduce user impact, and automate resolutions with predictive AIOps and automation13. It analyzes telemetry and log data using AI to reduce noise, expeditemapping and predict issues1. It also delivers proactive digital operations with real-time log data to solve problems quickly1.

The other choices are not specific to ServiceNow ITOM Enterprise solution, but rather general features of the ServiceNow platform. The ServiceNow platform allows users to create an engaging user experience with intuitive interfaces and workflows. It also enables users to build new apps fast with low-code development tools and pre-built components.

For discovering Windows Servers, ServiceNow Discovery recommends using credentials that have a domain user account with local administrator access on the target servers. This level of access ensures that Discovery can successfully execute the necessary probes and sensors to collect comprehensive data about the server without being restricted by permission limitations. The other options either provide excessive permissions (like a domain administrator with sudo access) or insufficient privileges (like a standard domain user with read access).

Horizontal discovery patterns are a series of operations that tell Discovery which CIs to find on your network, what credentials to use, and what tables to populate in the CMDB. Horizontal discovery patterns use variables to store and pass information between the operations. By default, there are two variables that are automatically available for horizontal discovery patterns: infrastructure_system and computer_system. These variables store the information about the infrastructure and the computer system of the target CI, respectively. They are populated by the Horizontal Pattern probe and sensor, which enable Discovery to use patterns for horizontal discovery123.

The Credential Affinity table is a table that associates an IP address and a credential in Discovery1. It is used to store the credential that was successfully used to access a device during Discovery2. It can also be used to manually assign a credential to an IP address or a range of IP addresses3. The other options are not tables that associate an IP address and a credential in Discovery. The Service Affinity table is a table that associates a business service and a credential. The Service CI Association table is a table that associates a business service and a configuration item (CI). The Tags table is a table that stores tags that can be applied to records in any table.

The ECC Queue tab displays the input and output messages from and to MID Servers. The default fields that are displayed on this tab are:

Topic: The topic of the message, such as Discovery, Orchestration, or MID Server.

Queue: The queue name of the message, such as input, output, or error.

Source: The source of the message, such as the MID Server name, the instance name, or the probe name.

State: The state of the message, such as ready, processed, or ignored.

Created: The date and time when the message was created.

Updated: The date and time when the message was last updated.

Some other fields that can be added to the ECC Queue tab are:

Details: The details of the message, such as the payload, the response, or the error message.

Pattern log link: The link to the pattern log file, if the message is related to a pattern execution.

CMDB CI: The configuration item that is associated with the message, if any.

Discovery schedule name: The name of the discovery schedule that triggered the message, if any.

Horizontal pattern types are used to discover the configuration items (CIs) that belong to a specific category or class, such as infrastructure or application. They define the operations that Discovery performs to identify and classify the CIs, and the attributes that Discovery populates for each CI. Horizontal patterns can be applied to any operating system or platform that supports the required protocols and commands12.

A is true because the target table $cmdb_ci_web_server is a ServiceNow CMDB table that stores information about web servers1.

B is true because the merge table operation is typically used for application patterns, which are horizontal patterns that discover applications and their dependencies. The condition on the process.executablePath variable suggests that the operation is looking for a specific application (mongoose) running on the web servers.

D is true because the merge table operation requires at least one matching field value between the two source tables1. In this case, the process.executablePath variable is the matching field, and it must contain “mongoose” for the operation to run.

 The WMI service is a Windows service that enables remote management of Windows devices using the WMI protocol. The WMI service is required for Discovery to access the configuration and status information of Windows devices using WMI queries. If the WMI service is not running on a host, it will prevent the discovery of Windows devices, as Discovery will not be able to communicate with the WMI Collector or execute WMI queries on the target device123.

For a pattern operation, the <_> placeholder can be replaced by any valid index or wildcard character that can be used to access an element of an array or a table. The $IfTable variable is a table that contains information about the network interfaces of a device1. The InstanceID attribute is a unique identifier for each interface2. To access the InstanceID of a specific interface, the pattern operation can use the following syntax:

$IfTable[].InstanceID

where is either:

A numeric index that corresponds to the position of the interface in the table, such as 3 for the third interface.

A dot (.) followed by a key-value pair that matches a specific attribute and value of the interface, such as [.Name=eth0] for the interface with the name eth0.

An asterisk () that represents a wildcard that matches any interface in the table, such as [] for all interfaces.

The MID Server parameters like 'mid.ssh.session_timeout', 'url', and 'mid.windows.management_protocol' can be modified through the ServiceNow platform UI under the MID Server configuration settings. These parameters control various aspects of the MID Server's operation, such as timeout settings for SSH sessions, the URL for the MID Server to communicate with the ServiceNow instance, and the management protocol to use for Windows servers, respectively. The 'name' of the MID Server, however, is not typically a parameter that can be changed through the UI as it is a unique identifier for the MID Server within the ServiceNow instance. Once a MID Server is registered with a name, that name is usually persistent and not intended to be modified through configuration settings.

The main Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the CMDB Health scorecard in ServiceNow include Correctness, Completeness, and Staleness. These KPIs are critical for assessing the overall health and quality of the CMDB. Correctness refers to the accuracy of the data in the CMDB, Completeness measures whether all required CI data is present, and Staleness indicates the freshness or timeliness of the CI data. Compliance and Duplicates, while important, are not considered main KPIs in the context of the CMDB Health scorecard.References= ServiceNow CMDB documentation and CMDB Health Dashboard user guide, focusing on the key performance indicators for CMDB health.

 The functionality shown in the image is related to the Tracked Configuration files feature of ServiceNow Discovery. This feature allows Discovery to track changes in configuration files on Windows and Unix hosts and store them as configuration items (CIs) in the CMDB1. To modify this functionality, such as adding or removing files to track, changing the file attributes to capture, or defining the CI relationships, one needs to edit the Discovery Pattern that is associated with the Tracked Configuration files classifier2. A Discovery Patternis a series of operations that tell Discovery how to find and identify an application or a configuration file on a host3.

A check is a part of Agent Client Collector that defines the osquery commands to run on a CI and the frequency of execution. A check can also specify the conditions for generating alerts or events based on the osquery results.

References

1: Agent Client Collector - Product Documentation: San Diego - ServiceNow

2: Agent Client Collector for Visibility - Product Documentation: San Diego - ServiceNow

 According to the ServiceNow Discovery documentation, the base system CI Identifiers for Windows Server class are name and serial_number. These are the attributes that Discovery uses to uniquely identify a Windows Server CI. If both attributes match an existing CI, Discovery updates that CI. If only one attribute matches, Discovery creates a new CI. If neither attribute matches, Discovery also creates a new CI. In this scenario, the serial_number is the same for both Windows Servers, but the name is different. Therefore, Discovery will create two separate CIs, one with WindowsSN1 as the name and one with WindowsSN2 as the name.

 The Location field for a discovered CI is populated by the Location field of the Discovery Schedule that triggered the discovery of that CI. This is done by the DiscoverySensor script, which gets the location ID from the Discovery Schedule and passes it to the Shazzam probe, which then updates the cidata with the location information. The Location field for a parent CI Type, a Port Probe, or a Discovery Dashboard report does not affect the Location field for a discovered CI.

Without seeing the specific image, it's challenging to definitively identify the operation. However, based on the options provided, if the image shows an operation that involves interpreting or extracting data from a variable, then "Parse Variable" is the most likely answer. "Parse Variable" is used in ServiceNow Discovery patterns to analyze and extract data from variables collected during the discovery process.References= ServiceNow Discovery documentation, particularly the sections on Discovery Pattern Designer and the various operations that can be used in patterns.

 The MID Server’s user account must have the mid_server role to interact with a ServiceNow instance. This role allows the MID Server to access protected tables and perform discovery and orchestration tasks on behalf of the instance. The other roles are not related to the MID Server functionality. The discovery_admin role is for configuring and managing discovery, the sm_mid role is for using the Service Mapping MID Server, and the mid_discovery role is for running discovery probes and sensors.

From the Discovery Status record, a Device record in ServiceNow Discovery contains a link to the discovered Configuration Item (CI). This link provides direct access to the CI record that was discovered and processed during the discovery cycle. The Device record does not contain the contents of the CI, a link to the discovered Asset, or a link to the CMDB Health Dashboard.References= ServiceNow Discovery documentation, focusing on the details of Discovery Status records and the information contained within Device records.

Quick Discovery is a wizard that helps you get up and running with Discovery quickly. It discovers both physical and logical components, including virtual machines, servers, storage, databases, applications, and more. To use Quick Discovery, you need to have a MID Server installed and configured, and provide a target IP range or subnet to scan. You do not need to create a Discovery Schedule or a PID for Quick Discovery.

A horizontal discovery pattern is a sequence of operations that collects information about a specific type of configuration item (CI), such as an operating system, a database, or a web server1. A horizontal discovery pattern does not use the connectivity section, which is only used for the application pattern type2. The connectivity section defines how to connect to a CI and run commands on it3. A horizontal discovery pattern uses the following sections1:

Variables: Defines the variables that store the data collected by the pattern and map them to the target table fields.

Identification: Defines the criteria to identify a CI and update or create a record in the CMDB.

Operations: Defines the actions to perform on the target CI, such as running commands, querying databases, or parsing files.

The reconciliation process in ServiceNow refers to the method of ensuring data integrity and consistency in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) by allowing only designated authoritative data sources to write or update information at the CI (Configuration Item) table and attribute level. This process helps maintain accurate and reliable data in the CMDB by controlling how and from where data is sourced and updated. The other options describe different processes or aspects of CMDB management and are not directly related to the reconciliation process.References= ServiceNow CMDB documentation, particularly the sections on CI data management and reconciliation processes.

The Discovery Dashboard provides a summary of the Discovery status, including the number of active discovery errors, the number of devices discovered, and the number of credentials used. Each error has a help link that provides more information about the cause and possible solutions.

 When Discovery or Service Mapping identifies a CI that matches an existing CI in the CMDB, it checks whether the CIs are duplicates or not. If they are duplicates, Discovery adds them to a de-duplication task, which is a record that groups duplicate CIs and allows you to review and remediate them. You can use the Duplicate CI Remediator wizard to merge, flag, retire, or delete the duplicate CIs. By default, Discovery does not send notifications, create identification rules, or stop the next discovery for duplicate CIs.